trswallow Member

You need to do some of your runs in the morning around the time of the actual race. It is usually a good idea to treat some of your longest runs as a full dress rehearsal. This gives you the opportunity to work out your race prep; day before prep, morning schedule, and fueling. Running later in the day there are a lot of…

I recall a recent article that said a new runner's performance will improve for 3 - 5 years, based on improvements to aerobic capacity and running efficiency. I haven't been able to relocate the article, and I don't recall if it took into account training plans or load. Of course adding speed work or adjusting your…

I've gone to the gym to lift, for yoga, and for aerobics/boot camp classes. I also regularly go for a run mid afternoon. I generally change into workout clothes and change back into my previous work clothes after my workout. I am in a small office and everyone knows I do it, but it has never been an issue. All offices are…

Don't get too hung up on meal times. If you consider the buffet lunch, then it was lunch. It doesn't matter if it was between the mythical 11:30 am - 2 pm lunch time, or if it was after 4:30. It was simply lunch. The only time I would say that I truly did not eat lunch is if I ate at 8 am and didn't eat anything else until…

First, his response that you have mental problems was wrong. His response to your question about getting ice cream might have more to do with how he felt about food at the moment; than it had to do with you, your goals, or your relationship with food. I am assuming that you both went to the bar for the football game, in…

The Amphipod belts are nice because several are fully modular, so you can remove all of the pouches and bottle holsters to reconfigure your belt or add/replace components. Most belts have the pouches and holsters stitched in place, so it is nearly impossible to add or replace components. Before my first run using an…

As @kcjchang pointed out not everyone can do a bike fitting right, so it is important that you know what to look for in a proper fit. It is important to know how to assess how well your bike fits you. The initial bike fit might be close, but after you ride some you might need some adjustments and as you ride more and…

Make sure you have some backup/alternative exercises. What are you going to do if you have a sick kid? With four kids they could pass an illness around for a couple weeks. What if it is raining or there is a chance of rain? Its one thing to go out and exercise in bad weather when it is just you, it is another when you are…

I wear a hydration belt every time I run more than 2.99 miles. Which means I only run without it 2 or 3 times a year. My second 5k race I didn't wear my belt and I tried drinking from a cup on the run and wound up choking and coughing, so know I always take my own water. This has the added advantage of not being tied to…

Most Fitbits don't have GPS. Some activity trackers allow you to enter your walking stride length, and possible also your running stride, so that a more accurate calculation of distance can be performed. Steps are counted based on the motion of the device in a way that is recognized as activity. In general that is going to…

It sounds like you might have had someone that either didn't know how to do a gait analysis or didn't know the proper shoe to go with the analysis. I don't bother with gait analysis. I had to see a podiatrist for some foot problems that developed during training for my first marathon and discussed what level of support I…

And nobody is going to say anything about boxing? Just think how many steps you can earn on the speed bag, once you get good at it. As for biking, 1) unless you wear it on your foot or ankle it won't pick up many steps, and 2) a good running cadence is over 150 (many say 180 is "ideal") however on a bike a good cadence is…

Unless you are jumping on an exercise bike, a treadmill, or running laps around the room; then no. If all you are doing is standing, sitting, or walking/meandering about, then it is not cardio. If you ran for 45 minutes and your heart rate was still elevated 15 minutes would you say you ran for 45 minutes or an hour???…

I was in a similar boat for my most recent marathon and continued doing my typical runs. Once I reached the week where the plan's mileage matched my mileage I started following the plan.

The training plan I followed had me doing my last 20 mile run three weeks before the race. However with shin splints I would agree with planning on doing 15 miles. If you feel good and your shins aren't hurting too much maybe stretch it out by a couple miles. I would not recommend doing a fast finish on the run though as…

You have not given any of your running history so we are all kind just throwing suggestions out there may or may not be appropriate for you. It is not clear if you are calling yourself a novice as it relates to running in general or as it relates to training for and running a marathon. If you can give some additional info…

I had a Citizen Eco-Drive watch for over 18 years and wore it all the time, and only put one very small nick on the lenses that is only visible at an angle. When I say all the time I mean all the time; running(with Garmin 305 on other wrist), swimming, hiking, camping, gardening, working on the car, everything.I figured if…

The only difference between the Fenix 3 and F3 Sapphire is the lenses. Also if you are concerned about the brightness of the display then go with the plain F3. Some of the reviews I read explained that the Sapphire could be dimmer in some situations due to lower light transmission through the lenses.

If you are married then the only lady that you should be asking for clothing advice is your wonderful long suffering wife. If she sends you to the gym in an outfit that gets ridiculed, then you will know you are in the dog house and need to take corrective action. Of course if your wife finds this thread, you better hope…

Some of this (^^^) is information that would have been helpful in your initial post. Are you still having problems with your ankles? You definitely want to take care of them so that you do not have any additional setbacks. If you can manage a 3:18 half in the snow with a bad ankle, then running a full in 6 hours should be…

When you say that you altered it for time restraints, do you mean the time you have to dedicate to training on a near daily basis, or the six hour time limit? I have used Higdon's plans for every one of my marathons and worked my way from Novice 1 up to Intermediate 1 for my marathon this Sunday, so I have some experience…

I agree with @lporter229, reduce the strength training and cut the sprints. During a marathon you should never sprint. If you sprint early in the race then you are just wrecking your second half and if you can sprint at the end, then you left to much energy and time on the table. If you run a marathon near your limit for…

Unless you take off your Fitbit during workouts, all activities should be logged in the Fitbit app to avoid double counting. If you manually create an activity in the Fitbit app, then that activity will override the step count and calories calculated during the activity…

Do you know how much mileage you have on your 2015 shoes? If you are switching back and forth between new shoes and older well worn shoes, sometimes the difference in wear can aggravate your feet. I agree with @kristinegift, that it might be tendinitis. It could also be a ligament issue, like Turf Toe. Turf Toe is more…

I always use Hal Higdon's plans for Half and Full Marathons, but he also has plans for shorter distances including 10k ( http://halhigdon.com/training/51121/10K-Training-Guide ). The 10k plans are 8 weeks. Read over his description of the training plan so that you understand how it is structured and how you should approach…

Spending a lot of money on shoes and insoles does not mean you are getting products that will alleviate pain and problems. In fact if they are the wrong type for your unique foot it could make matters worse. For example someone with flat feet wearing motion control shoes designed for someone with high arches is going to…

If you are going to try to trim your calluses avoid devices with blades, as they can slice too deep and cause bigger problems. Start out with a luffa or a pumice stone, soak your feet prior to using or use them during your bath/shower. My personal experience is that with a pumice stone you want to soak the calluses less…

Running socks are only going to help you if you are switching from thick socks to thin socks. You would probably do better with wider shoes or shoes with a wider toe box, if your current shoes fit in the heal and in length. Some callusing is normal, but if it is painful then you likely have excessive rubbing from shoes…

You need to consider the source. A website that sells supplements to bodybuilders are going to tend to publish articles about the evils of cardio. Their target audience wants to be reassured that it is fine that they do not do cardio and only lift. Of course some of their target audience probably wishes that they would do…

There are a couple possible causes: 1) Water retention due to muscle damage and repair. 2) Consuming extra food around your long runs.* The extra carbs consumed will also result in water being retained when the water binds with glucose 3) Increased water consumption during and after a run.* Every 8 ounce cup of liquid…